UPDATE – The seller has relisted this Mini, but now as an auction. You can take another look here on eBay.
When we look at the vintage muscle and classic cars that are most sought-after today, it is often the equipment list that makes or breaks the final sale price. It also usually takes a few years for the collector car market to “catch up” in that regard, but the seller of this 2005 Mini Cooper S “John Cooper Works” convertible listed here on eBay is hoping a buyer will agree that it’s already a desirable specimen worth owning based on its robust assortment of options.
John Cooper Works, or JCW, is basically a signal to buyers that your ordinary Mini Cooper S has been blessed with a variety of factory-backed performance upgrades. There’s also a variety of cosmetic touches that go along with the kit as well, from bonnet stipes to driving lamps. In the case of this Cooper, the seller notes it does indeed benefit from enhancements that take the spunky supercharged inline-four to a rambunctious 213 horsepower, all channeled through the front wheels.
The color scheme of black-on-black is perhaps one of the best combos in a Mini Cooper, especially with a drop-top. Why, you might ask? Well, let’s just agree that the Cooper has a rather cute image, so buying a convertible in a more vivid color might earn you a few secretary’s car comments, unfair or not. Black over black gives the Cooper a slightly more menacing demeanor, which is also helped by the accessory alloy wheels this one is equipped with. The Cooper S always sits low over its upsized wheels, but this JCW looks like it has barely any gap between the top of the tire and the edge of the fender.
The seller believes his car has every available option, from a factory navigation system to a limited-slip differential to a JCW performance exhaust. There’s no denying this Cooper S has all the bells and whistles, and given the standard “S” model was already an extremely competent handler and quite quick out of the box, I’m sure this car is a riot to drive. What’s your take: does the equipment list make this Mini a modern-day collector car?
Nice car. As the former owner of an ’03 non JWC and present owner of a “11 Turbo S I can tell you from experience that those wheels will never hit the bodywork. Even in non racing mode the ride on these cars is as close to having no suspension as you can get. The fun with these cars is getting through corners twice as fast as most other cars on the road. Pretty hefty price on this one but it certainly looks as good as they get.
Nice car – fantasy pricing.
32k will get you a nice s2000 reliable and better looking
32K—Really? That will buy a nicely equipped 50th anniversary 2003 Corvette Z06, 6 speed manual, packing 405 stock horsepower, which Hagerty recently named to it’s 2023 Bull Market List!
I’ll kindly pass!
Cooter- You are d’man! $32K puts one in a target-rich Corvette environment- ZR-1, Grand Sport, the Z06 you mentioned, etc.
I have an ’05 “S”, [supercharged] with a few mods that put it in the 200 HP range. I’ve had a lot of cars but between the handling and the whine of the supercharger driving it is pretty much the most fun I’ve ever had with my pants on…
Me too. We bought an 80K 2 owner RE53 Cooper S in xlnt condition for $4000 earlier this year. It is enormous fun, can do long distance but packaging means it is A 2 seater really.
No need to get sucked into overpowered and overpriced special edition nonsense.
I bought a BRG 2003 Mini Cooper S was an actual barn find! The guy I bought from was planning a track car. *Wiseco forged pistons.
ARP head studs and rod bolts.
*Exedy Pro-kit chromoly flywheel & clutch.
*Marren 380cc Fuel Injectors. *Craven Supercharger Performance Kit with 17% Reduction Speed blower pulley, Belt. & NGK Spark plugs BKR7EIX
*Supertech Inconel Exhaust Valves with keepers. (Oversized) ,
It’s just a daily driver now.
Diggy
Indeed a nice Mini..
A red 2006 Jwc with 22k miles fetched Almost 29k…
Triple Black is more Bad A#$
With low miles and this condition they will only go up in value)
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-mini-cooper-jcw-19/
Awesome John Cooper Works Mini..
This is the most Beautiful Bad A#% Mini I ever seen.
It is a rare breed….This is a full blown high performance JWC package..
Love the JWC black chrome tips
You cant compare this car with Vette’s and Honda’s.
This Mini is in a class all by itself…
Never seen a 2005 JWC with Areo kit and Bad A#% rims..
I know this car handles like a slot car and is fast for what it is)
If had had extra funds would by this in a second….
Good luck to the seller
I just spoke to the owner.
I did not realize this car has a lifetime platinum warranty..
This make all the difference in the world..
My last mini had to replace the an air compressor and a window regulator cost me $4500 at mini \. The warranty adds major value..I wish had an warranty..
Had to replace both the AC compressor and right door regulator at 56K on our ’03. Did my own work but if you only paid $4,500 you came out good. Shop work at our dealers is a bit over $125 an hour and these two jobs can’t be done in a day.
I just spoke to the owner.
I did not realize this car has a lifetime platinum warranty..
This make all the difference in the world..
My last mini had to replace the an air compressor and a window regulator cost me $4500 at mini \. The warranty adds major value..I wish had an warranty..
Bobhess
Yes ..Not cheap to work on that is why the warranty on this mini is Golden..
Ads tremendous value more then people think..
Steve
Vettes don’t compare to Hondas. Mini Coopers compare to Hondas. Stop trying to Church it up guys. $32K for a 200 horse go kart? I’ve seen motorcycles with over 200 Hp.
And if you’ll take a little of your time to do a bit of research you’ll discover that the Corvette is the longest running model of any vehicle in American history. If you cannot respect that I’m calling Un-American! I just took delivery of a 70th anniversary C8. Drive one and you will understand the true meaning of “Holy Grail’
What a Barn find to say the least
This car is irreplaceable one of a kind museum piece…
Cannot be duplicated…
The warranty is icing on the cake..Drive worry free
2005 is the first year for the R52 Build in England and assembled in Germany
The New Mini’s are not true Mini’s, parts from all over the world even china…
Someone should snatch this up none to found one..
Good Luck to the new owner..
The problem with JC Works cars is that they get better with every model, So, here you are buying the top model of 2003. 20 years later, they are better. I know, tht’s subjective, you’re opinion may vary.
I owned an ’08 Cooper S Coupe and it was cool that I could custome build it to my liking – all performance and no luxury items. Drove on rails – for sure! I got rid of it at 90K for fear of repair costs. At that point it needed a water pump and a check engine light that kept coming on despite numerous resets.
The Charger it replaced went 160K without a single issue and now a nephew is enjoying it. Not as much fun, but reliability counts for something in my book.
Have never seen that color combination. Nice!
Thanks, bobhess.
Nice thing about ordering a car is that you can set it up the way you want. I did not like any of the stripes or other tacky add-ons.
Plus, I was able to match the interior with the exterior.
I’ve had my JCW mini for a little more than a year and love it. There is no added value just because it was “limited edition”. The one up for auction has a six speed manual gearbox which is not an option I care for, and after owning a convertible with a black interior, I’ll never own another oven on wheels. I’m sure somebody will be happy with it it it sells for a reasonable price.
Nice car but I guess I am just old and every time I see JCW. I think jc Whitney (the auto bible along with super shops when I was in high school)not John cooper works LOL
we bought a new 2013 mini clubman and maintained the death out of it, one of the first negative things was the car used a quart of oil every thousand miles, I contacted the dealer, Patrick mini in Schaumberg Illinois where I purchased the car told me that was normal, at around eighty thousand miles the timing chain tensioner failed, a three thousand dollar repair if the dealer did it, being a retired mechanic I did the repairs, engine Sencers, low tire Sencer modules foot well module all failed in a short time, parts were very expensive.
As a mechanic, you should probably know how to spell “sensor”.
Do a little research. Minis rate dead last in mechanical reliability. Worse than Mercedes. No, thanks. Mechanics LOVE them.
Ha-ha . . . from my personal experiences with Mini you better hope it has a warranty. BMW didn’t do much to improve the reliability or cost of ownership with the Mini – regardless of model and “special editions” they are throw away items after a few years of ownership. Many are already resting in junkyards and extremely used car lots along with VW’s “new Beetle”.
I see no comments mentioning the very limited GP edition with circa 300 HP. Met an owner at my barber recently who clued me in. I believe he said it was AWD.
I have a 2004 S with what was then a dealer installed JCW kit, a $5K option at the time. The PO added a few upgrades and got 254 hp at the wheels on a dynamometer. It has 180K miles on it now and although i did experience the dreaded belt or tensioner failure that trashed the surface of the damper requiring its rebuild, other than that it has not been too expensive to maintain and is a hoot to drive. It is bright “Liquid Yellow” with white stripes and aero kit and gets a lot of thumbs ups and comments. Inexpensive fun so far.